Precipitated by the Asian financial turmoil in late 1997, the economic crisis which engulfed Hong Kong swiftly spilled into the political arena. With the Tung Chee-hwa administration beset by policy blunders and governance fiascos, a political culture of blame and witch-hunting took root.
The public housing short-piling scandal resulted in the resignation of then Housing Authority chairwoman Rosanna Wong Yick-ming, which set the scene for the introduction of the political accountability system in the second Tung administration.
Calls for heads to roll during governance debacles became a regular feature. The first 13 months of Mr Tung's second term saw a few heads topple, and some were bowed.
The then financial services and treasury minister, Frederick Ma Si-hang, apologised for his role in the so-called 'penny stock' saga. The aftermath of the July 1 rally in 2003 saw the departure of financial secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung, security chief Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee and health minister Yeoh Eng-kiong.
Mr Tung, who was blamed for the first governance crisis since the handover, stood down in 2005.
This history of political turbulence is worth recalling at a time when Hong Kong, already hit by recession, is entering stormy political waters. Citing the 'blame syndrome' prevalent in British politics, Executive Councillor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in a Chinese-language newspaper article last week, cautioned against excessive blame in Hong Kong politics.